VFW leader hopes September events show club as active part of Tuscaloosa

By Casey VoylesSpecial to The Tuscaloosa News

Published: Sunday, September 1, 2013 at 3:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Sunday, September 1, 2013 at 11:26 p.m.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars will participate in two September events, a “Welcome Home” picnic featuring a Las Vegas headliner next weekend and a POW/MIA Recognition Day ceremony later in the month.

Walter Turner, the Post 6022 adjutant and a 25-year Navy veteran, said he hopes the events will show the community that the VFW is much more than a social club and is an active part of Tuscaloosa.

The VFW along with the post’s women’s auxiliary will be set up at Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center at 3701 Loop Road on Saturday for the third annual “Welcome Home” picnic. Entertainment will be provided by a five-year Las Vegas headliner and tribute artist Terry Turner.

“To see him in person is unreal. He did Willie Nelson, and he was spot on. You would’ve thought Willie was sitting there. He sings the song ‘Willie, Waylon and the Boys’ and he sounds like Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. He alternates verses and sounds just like both of them. You shut your eyes and you’d swear they were both on the stage,” Walter Turner said.

Terry Turner will perform for picnic attendees at noon. He will also host a full show at 8 p.m. at the VFW, 7001 University Blvd. E. in Cottondale. Admission to the 8 p.m. show will be $10 per person and all proceeds will go to the VFW veterans’ relief fund.

At 2 p.m. Sept. 20, the VFW will host its annual POW-MIA Recognition Day ceremony at Post 6022. Paul W. Bryant High School Marine Corps’ JROTC honor guard will present the colors. The public is invited to honor prisoners of war and the men and women still missing in action. The formal event will conclude with two trumpeters performing “Echo Taps.” Walter Turner said that the event has grown in attendance number each year.

The events usually produce multiple inquiries about membership in the VFW, Walter Turner said. The current price for a one-year membership is $35 but will go up to $50 in January. Lifetime memberships are also available. Prospective members must also provide evidence of service time in a combat zone. Post 6022 has a membership roster of 242 and is actively searching for more veterans to join.

“All VFW posts, not just ours, need new members. We need the younger guys like the Iraqi and Afghanistan veterans so that we can have new ideas — fresh blood, if you will.”

David Douglass, a second-year Post commander and Army veteran, said that he wants to share benefits with all the veterans who deserve them. The VFW and the women’s auxiliary sponsor scholarship programs, essay contests, fundraisers for veterans and their families and countless other services. In the past, Post 6022 has even rented out its ballroom for child cancer fundraising events.

“We’ve had veterans come in who are down on their luck and cry because we’ve given them a little money; that’s what it’s all about. I want to help veterans, veteran’s families and the community,” Walter Turner said.

Linda Turner, the women’s auxiliary president, has held the position for about five years and has been married to Walter Turner for 39 years. The women’s auxiliary is involved with cancer research, the Voice of Democracy essay contest and continuously supports the Veterans of Foreign Wars. The members of the auxiliary comprise mostly spouses, daughters and relatives of veterans who were stationed in combat areas.

“I want the community to know we are here. We aren’t just a bunch of old guys who sit around and smoke drink and tell war stories,” Walter Turner said. “We are so much more than that.”

For inquires and information, contact VFW Post 6022 at vfwpost6022@yahoo.com or 205-533-8040.

<p>The Veterans of Foreign Wars will participate in two September events, a “Welcome Home” picnic featuring a Las Vegas headliner next weekend and a POW/MIA Recognition Day ceremony later in the month.</p><p>Walter Turner, the Post 6022 adjutant and a 25-year Navy veteran, said he hopes the events will show the community that the VFW is much more than a social club and is an active part of Tuscaloosa.</p><p>The VFW along with the post's women's auxiliary will be set up at Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center at 3701 Loop Road on Saturday for the third annual “Welcome Home” picnic. Entertainment will be provided by a five-year Las Vegas headliner and tribute artist Terry Turner. </p><p>“To see him in person is unreal. He did Willie Nelson, and he was spot on. You would've thought Willie was sitting there. He sings the song 'Willie, Waylon and the Boys' and he sounds like Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. He alternates verses and sounds just like both of them. You shut your eyes and you'd swear they were both on the stage,” Walter Turner said. </p><p>Terry Turner will perform for picnic attendees at noon. He will also host a full show at 8 p.m. at the VFW, 7001 University Blvd. E. in Cottondale. Admission to the 8 p.m. show will be $10 per person and all proceeds will go to the VFW veterans' relief fund. </p><p>At 2 p.m. Sept. 20, the VFW will host its annual POW-MIA Recognition Day ceremony at Post 6022. Paul W. Bryant High School Marine Corps' JROTC honor guard will present the colors. The public is invited to honor prisoners of war and the men and women still missing in action. The formal event will conclude with two trumpeters performing “Echo Taps.” Walter Turner said that the event has grown in attendance number each year.</p><p>The events usually produce multiple inquiries about membership in the VFW, Walter Turner said. The current price for a one-year membership is $35 but will go up to $50 in January. Lifetime memberships are also available. Prospective members must also provide evidence of service time in a combat zone. Post 6022 has a membership roster of 242 and is actively searching for more veterans to join.</p><p>“All VFW posts, not just ours, need new members. We need the younger guys like the Iraqi and Afghanistan veterans so that we can have new ideas — fresh blood, if you will.”</p><p>David Douglass, a second-year Post commander and Army veteran, said that he wants to share benefits with all the veterans who deserve them. The VFW and the women's auxiliary sponsor scholarship programs, essay contests, fundraisers for veterans and their families and countless other services. In the past, Post 6022 has even rented out its ballroom for child cancer fundraising events.</p><p>“We've had veterans come in who are down on their luck and cry because we've given them a little money; that's what it's all about. I want to help veterans, veteran's families and the community,” Walter Turner said.</p><p>Linda Turner, the women's auxiliary president, has held the position for about five years and has been married to Walter Turner for 39 years. The women's auxiliary is involved with cancer research, the Voice of Democracy essay contest and continuously supports the Veterans of Foreign Wars. The members of the auxiliary comprise mostly spouses, daughters and relatives of veterans who were stationed in combat areas.</p><p>“I want the community to know we are here. We aren't just a bunch of old guys who sit around and smoke drink and tell war stories,” Walter Turner said. “We are so much more than that.”</p><p>For inquires and information, contact VFW Post 6022 at vfwpost6022@yahoo.com or 205-533-8040.</p>